With the Vivo X50 Pro, the company returns to the premium segment with a smartphone that can almost rub shoulders with the flagships.
Vivo is a household name in India and is now the third-largest smartphone company by volume. Its rise was primarily driven by its budget smartphone and mid-rangers. With its foot planted firmly, it now hopes to get a piece of the premium segment with the X50 Pro.
Vivo’s tango with the premium segment hasn’t been particularly momentous. The last smartphone to try and carve a name for itself was the Vivo X21 from 2018, which was far from mainstream. This time though, Vivo’s execution is a lot more mature with the X50 series, bringing interesting upgrades on the hardware front that few others offer.
As always, for a manufacturer going up the price ladder, brand image and software experience become more important factors of the decision matrix. This is a key point for price-sensitive markets such as India, where the premium segment is dominated by a handful of players and newcomers have always struggled.
The Vivo X50 Pro goes up against established competition such as the OnePlus 8, the Xiaomi Mi 10 and even the iPhone SE, all of which are formidable offerings on their own. The approach of bringing hardware innovations to a slowly-evolving aspect is commendable, and one that deserves to be iterated upon. It is Vivo’s most polished phone till date, but the software experience continues to remain its weakest link.
India is one of the first overseas markets to get the Vivo X50 series. The X50 Pro comes in a single configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and is priced at Rs 49,990. The first sale is scheduled for July 24.
When it comes to high-end smartphones, most opt for an imposing design that is big and bold. The Vivo X50 Pro is a breath of fresh air, bringing a sexy, luxurious design that is somewhat compact too. It is one of the only Android flagships that isn’t large or heavy.
Until now, most high-end smartphones, especially those with a periscopic camera or a large sensor, have been big and bulky. Vivo somehow manages to fit in all those along with a large gimbal system without going overboard with the dimensions.
Its heft, rather the lack thereof, is evident the moment you pick it up. It tips the scale at just 181g which is pretty well distributed along the body. Moreover, the curved front and back seamlessly meet at the sleek metal frame, greatly aiding the ergonomics.
